London - Derby and Cardiff's stuttering starts to the English Championship season continued with a 1-1 draw at Pride Park on Friday.

Cardiff, who were relegated to the second tier from the Premier League last term, needed a Robert Glatzel penalty to secure a point, but remain in midtable when a victory would have sent them into the top six.

Phillip Cocu's Derby, meanwhile, have only managed one win from their opening seven games of the campaign.

Derby -- who lost to Aston Villa under Frank Lampard in last season's playoff final -- started quickly, taking a sixth-minute lead when Scott Malone bundled the ball in after Cardiff repeatedly failed to clear their lines.

The visitors struck back 13 minutes later, though, as Glatzel slotted home a spot-kick after Richard Keogh tugged the German's shirt.

Derby almost reclaimed the lead shortly after the break when Jack Marriott's long-range strike hit the crossbar, but neither side could find a winner.